The Garden
by MsDevin92
Summary: One day, it's eerily quiet in Bowser's castle...With his father missing and his siblings acting strangely, Bowser Jr. won't rest until he uncovers the secret! Oneshot. Repost.


The Garden

It was silent in Bowser's castle.

This was very, very rare. Usually, the looming stone monolith echoed with the din of the Koopa King's soldiers training, of his eight children playing and squabbling, of a heated battle with Mario over the fate of Princess Peach. And, of course, there was just the regular noise that was to be expected from a giant castle packed with hundreds of rowdy Koopas.

But now…Now, it was completely still and silent, almost as if the very world around the volcanic palace was trapped in time…

* * *

Bowser Jr. frowned at his siblings. Something wasn't right with them today.

They were all sitting in the Koopalings' playroom _quietly_. None of them were arguing or causing a ruckus. They were barely talking. That wasn't the only strange thing, though.

That morning, they had all woken up early. He'd _never _seen them get up early. And by early, he meant _early_; the sun wasn't even up yet. The youngest prince, although wanting to sleep in, had gotten up and followed the other seven Koopalings around their home, watching them in a state of complete and utter confusion.

Then they had gone down to the kitchen and started cooking breakfast. Bowser Jr. had never seen them cook, either, and was even more surprised to find that they were very skilled at it. However, the food apparently wasn't for them, as they simply set it on the table before moving on to the playroom. Judging by the size of the meal, he could only conclude that it was for their father.

Now Ludwig was faintly humming a symphony to himself as he read a book. Lemmy was leaning against his rubber ball (it was the first time Bowser Jr. had seen the ball without Lemmy rolling on it) as he played a game of 'Go Fish' with Iggy and Morton (now _Morton_ being quiet was just too weird). Roy was taking a nap, and Wendy was polishing her jewelry. Larry was bouncing a small ball on his tennis racket.

"Got any threes?" Morton softly asked Lemmy.

"Go Fish," he replied. Morton frowned and retrieved a card from the deck.

Wendy, satisfied with her reflection in her diamond bracelet, unclipped an earring and began polishing the golden hoop.

Roy snored.

Ludwig scratched the back of his neck and turned a page.

Bowser Jr. gritted his teeth. Why weren't his brothers and sister playing, or bickering, or destroying anything? He was likely to explode from anxiety soon!

He jumped to his feet and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the faint creak of a door opening echoed down the silent halls of the castle. It was followed by a series of thudding footsteps.

Once the footsteps had passed the playroom door, the other Koopalings all exchanged solemn looks.

"King Dad's awake," said Larry. They all nodded.

Bowser Jr. approached his oldest brother and prodded him on the shoulder. "Ludwig."

Ludwig lowered the book and glanced at him quizzically.

"What's _up_ with you guys today?" The youngest prince threw his arms up in exasperation, although he kept his voice slightly hushed; if the Koopalings were being this quiet because of their King Dad, he didn't want to disturb his father.

His siblings exchanged solemn looks again.

"_Ludwig_," Jr. repeated plaintively.

"It's just…somethink very painful for King Dad," Ludwig said slowly. "Ve vill go back to playing soon, though."

"When?" Jr., hearing his father's footsteps again, turned toward the playroom door hopefully, but King Bowser didn't enter.

"Soon. Ven he gets back." Ludwig went back to his book.

"Back from _where_?"

"He vill tell you ven he is ready to tell you, Jr."

Bowser Jr. scowled at him, then decided to try his next-oldest sibling. "Lemmy?"

"Go- Yeah?"

"Why aren't you balancing on your rubber ball?"

Lemmy tapped the ball with one clawed finger thoughtfully. "Don't worry, bro. I will. Soon."

"When?"

"When King Dad gets back."

Jr., having inherited his father's short temper, was quickly growing more and more irritated. "Back from _where_?"

Lemmy fidgeted uncomfortably. "He'll tell you soon, I guess…"

Bowser Jr. looked at Iggy. "Iggy, will _you_ tell me where King Dad is?"

"Nope." Iggy looked hopefully at Lemmy. "Got any twos?"

"Go Fish," Lemmy said.

"Darn." Iggy took a card from the deck.

Bowser Jr. prodded his fourth-oldest brother in the shoulder, trying to regain his attention. "Why?"

"Cause Lemmy doesn't have any twos, that's why. It's how you play the game, bro."

"Not _that_. Why won't you tell me where King Dad is?"

"Oh. That. I can't. He has to decide to tell you."

Bowser Jr. sighed. Then he realized Morton would certainly help him. And even if he didn't want to, he was usually such a chatterbox that things would slip out. "Morton?"

"What?"

"Will _you_ tell me where King Dad is?"

"No."

"_Why_?"

"'Cause I'm not supposed to say anything."

"That's never stopped you before!" Jr. snapped. Morton shrugged apologetically.

Jr. approached Roy. The Koopalings were usually very careful around their bullying brother, he was too frustrated right now to care. "Roy, where's King Dad?"

Roy glared at him, annoyed at being woken up from his nap. "Doin' sometin' private."

"What is it?"

"None a' yer beeswax. Now beat it, shrimp, and lemme' get back ta' sleep."

Wendy, who had just started polishing her other earring, made a face at them. "Quit it."

"Make me," Roy retorted.

"Wendy," Bowser Jr. begged his sister, "_you're_ gonna tell me what King Dad is doing, right?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because-"

"He's not going to tell me until he's ready!" Jr. finished, impatient. "Larry, what about you?"

"Sorry," Larry mumbled, not taking his eyes off the ball. "Can't."

"That's _it_." The little Koopaling started towards the playroom door. Instantly, all the others were on their feet.

"Jr., where are you going?" Larry asked nervously, dreading the answer.

"I'm going to find King Dad, since none of _you_ will tell me anything," Jr. huffed.

"Well, don't!" Iggy exclaimed.

"Why shouldn't I?" he retorted, glaring at them. No answer. "I thought so."

"Seriously, Jr., don't," Wendy warned him.

He ignored her and pulled on the handle.

"Kid, if you don' quit that right now, I'm gunna put one heck of a dent in yer shell," Roy threatened, cracking his knuckles.

The door swung open, and Bowser Jr. ran out of sight.

"Cripes! That lil' punk!" Roy cursed, going off in pursuit.

"Ve must bring Jr. back!" Ludwig cried, following.

"Jr. doesn't know what he's getting into…" Morton moaned.

"Well, we won't do anything just standing around!" Lemmy climbed up on his rubber ball. "We gotta help the others! Come on!"

The Koopalings rushed out into the corridor.

* * *

Bowser Jr.'s first stop was the kitchen, but no luck. The breakfast plate was empty; his father had already eaten.

_King Dad, where _are_ you_? he thought, continuing his search.

* * *

Larry poked his head around a corner. "I see them!"

"Who?" Iggy wondered, craning his neck for a better peek.

"Jr.! He must still be looking for King Dad…And there goes Ludwig and Roy…Uh-oh, Roy looks _steamed_."

"See anybody else?"

"Nope."

"Good," Wendy sighed, relieved. "Kamek and Kammy would blow a fuse if they found out what Jr. was up to…"

"Hopefully we can get some sense into him before it's too late," Lemmy muttered, rolling after his brothers.

* * *

Jr. stood at an intersection in the twisting maze of passages, trying to choose a way to go. But he took too long and-

"Gotcha!"

Roy tackled him from behind, easily pinning his smaller brother to the ground. "Dat's _enough_, Jr. Yer goin' back ta' da playroom, _whether ya want ta' or not_."

"Let _go_!" he wailed, thrashing violently. He had to escape quickly. Ludwig, not being as fast as Roy, was still a ways behind, but there was absolutely no chance that Jr. would be able to get away if two of his oldest brothers got him.

Roy started to drag Jr. back the way they'd come. "_C'mon_."

"_No_!" He batted one of Roy's hands away.

"You punk! Don' make me-" Roy started to reach for his brother again, but suddenly a sharp pain shot through his arm.

Jr. had bitten him! He forced his fangs down as hard as he could, breaking through Roy's rough scales. No matter how hard he tugged at his brother's jaws, Roy couldn't unclamp the vice-like grip.

"GAH!" he roared. "Get off my arm, you brat! Get _off_!" He shook his arm wildly and sent Jr. flying, realizing, too late, that he'd just let his brother free. "DARNIT! _Don' let him get away_!"

Ludwig dove for Bowser Jr., but he had already scurried off.

"Oh, nice goin', genius," Roy scoffed.

"_Excuse me_? You are ze von who let him get avay in ze first place!"

"…Shaddup."

* * *

Jr. bit his lip. Now he was in for it.

In his hurry to get away from Roy, he'd ended up taking the wrong passage; a passage he'd never been down before. He was hopelessly lost, and it wouldn't be long before the other Koopalings found him.

Then he heard it: footsteps. Big, heavy, thudding footsteps that could only belong to the Koopa King.

Jr. grinned and started sneaking down the hall, following his father at a safe distance. What luck! Bowser, being much larger, moved much more slowly than his children. It would be easy to keep up with him now!

Bowser turned a corner. Not wanting to lose sight of his father, Jr. started after him.

Someone grabbed at him. He barreled forward, just barely avoiding Ludwig and Roy, who had been attempting to cover his mouth and drag him off without alerting their father.

"Back off," he cried, stepping back.

"Jr., please listen to us," Ludwig pleaded. "You should not bother King Dad at zis time!"

The other Koopalings joined them, nodding.

Jr. stared at them, but he inched towards the path his father had just taken.

"Jr., _don't_," Wendy hissed, making a cutting motion across her throat.

He took another step down the hall.

"King Dad's gonna _explode_." Iggy shook his head so fiercely that he almost lost his glasses.

Another step backwards.

"Jr., don't make us have to take you back." Lemmy rolled closer to his youngest brother. "We're warning you, we will if we have to."

At that, he took off as fast as he could.

"Stop him!" Ludwig cried, and all seven Koopalings lunged.

Jr. reeled backwards, turning as he ran. There was a large door- made of white stone, with golden knockers. He reached for the handle, cursing his height. Thankfully, his brothers and sister were trying to untangle themselves from the untidy mess they had landed in. By time they were up, he had already opened the door.

They all gasped and ran for the doorway. He tried to slam the door, but Morton planted his foot firmly in the corner, stopping it. Before the other Koopalings could get a hold on him, he was gone again.

* * *

Jr. was still running, although he had slowed down slightly in amazement.

He'd never gone this way before, and now he was in a garden- the biggest, loveliest garden he could ever imagine. There were dozens of trees, from graceful weeping willows to slender white birches, and nearly hundreds of flowers in every color of the rainbow: pink roses, white daisies, yellow tulips, scarlet poppies, periwinkle irises, dappled orange lilies…He even spotted a few Piranha Plants, their petals a deep, royal blue, and Fire Flowers, although these blooms were not red, but gold.

Eventually, his running turned to a slow meander as he took in the wonders all around him.

He looked suspiciously a Piranha Plant, wondering if it would eat it him- Larry had a bad habit of getting eaten by King Dad's Piranha Plants (they always spit him out, but still). However, the plant stretched out its head to him, making a strange sound reminiscent of purring. Jr. stretched out his claw and scratched it nervously. To his pleasant surprise, the Piranha smiled and planted a little kiss on his arm before going to sleep.

He looked up and found a tree heavy with fist-sized green apples, right beside a blooming lilac bush. Weren't those things supposed to bloom at the same time? There was something weird about this garden...

He found a fountain and took a drink. The water was refreshingly cool, and a delightful contrast to the warmth of the Fire Flowers that grew around its base.

Soon, Jr., wondering why his siblings hadn't pursued him yet. They were huddled in the doorway to the garden, looking very nervous. None of them had even moved.

They weren't looking at them. He followed their gaze, and saw, at the other end of the garden…

"King Dad!"

* * *

Bowser whirled around, startled, as his son's voice reached him. Bowser Jr. ran towards him as the other Koopalings shuffled meekly into view.

"That idiot," Morton muttered.

"We're dead," Lemmy sighed.

"King Dad!" Jr. cried again. "Everyone was acting so strange today, but Ludwig and Lemmy and Roy and Iggy and Wendy and Morton and Larry wouldn't tell me anything, so I came to find you and they all chased me and then I found a door, and I came out here and I've never been here before, whose garden is-"

With a soft chuckle, Bowser scooped his son into his arms and placed a finger to his lips. "Yikes. You can get worse than Morton sometimes, you know that?"

The Koopalings all jumped and gaped at one another, not sure how to handle their father's surprising reaction.

"What _is_ this place?" Jr. breathed.

"You were bound to ask some day." Bowser gestured to the still, gorgeous world around them. "This…is Clawdia's garden."

Clawdia…The name buzzed faintly in the back of his skull, but he didn't completely remember it. "Clawdia?"

"Yes. Clawdia…Your mother."

Jr. fell silent and lowered his eyes. His mother was a rather…painful subject for him, so to speak. He barely remembered her.

Bowser smiled slightly. "Do…you want to see her?"

Jr. looked up at him, startled. "_S-see her_? How?"

The King turned around and set Jr. down. "There."

Slowly, he made his way over to the center of the clearing and climbed onto a pedestal of white stone. He knelt down and studied the words carved into the block.

R.I.P.

Clawdia Contessa Olivia Koopa

Queen of the Koopas

Then he stood up and gasped.

Set on the pedestal was a coffin of crystal, and inside he could see a Koopa woman- his mother. She was beautiful, with long, golden hair that fell in graceful waves around her smiling face.

"H-how…How can I…"

"When…she died," Bowser explained, "Kammy cast a spell on the coffin. She said it would truly let Clawdia rest in peace forever. She wanted your mother to be happy, even in death. Kammy was Clawdia's caretaker and advisor, the same way Kamek raised me."

"What about this garden? I've never seen it before…" He lifted his head and saw a sky tinged with the colors of the sunset, even though it had been only midmorning a few minutes ago. "The sky's the wrong color. The plants are blooming strange…Is this place outside or inside? And all the fighting in the castle…It even exploded once, but this place is good as new…"

"More magic. The garden is safe from harm, and it stays just as Clawdia left it. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Someone brushed against Jr.'s shoulder. His siblings had joined him, clustering around their mother's coffin.

"Sorry about the, uh, craziness back there, Jr.," Iggy said sheepishly. "It's just that King Dad didn't tell any of us about this until he felt he was ready, and since the whole thing's kind of…you know…We just didn't know how he'd react, or how you'd feel…"

Bowser waved a hand dismissively. "It's okay."

Jr. tentatively raised a shaking hand and placed it over his mother's still form. "Hi, Queen Mom," he whispered, his voice quivering. Then he turned back to his father. "She looks like-"

"Peach?" he finished, chuckling again. "Yeah. That's why, when you asked me who your mother was a while back, I gave you her name instead of Clawdia's. They were a lot alike, now that I think of it..."

Jr. was silent once more.

Bowser knelt down and put a hand on his son's shoulder. "She was wonderful, and I want you to know that she died a happy woman. She loved you all very much."

The Koopalings gathered around their father, and he put his arms around them, holding them close.

* * *

They went back up to the playroom. "I have to go see Kamek," Bowser said, closing the door. "Have a nice day, kids."

"See ya, King Dad!" they chorused.

Bowser Jr. looked puzzlingly at Iggy. "Where's he going?"

"Probably to brainstorm his next plan for kidnapping the princess," he replied with a toothy grin. "Good old King Dad!"

"Yeah!" Lemmy rolled around the room on his ball. "And when Mario shows up, he won't stand a chance!"

He accidentally bumped into Roy, who glared at him. "Watch where yer goin', stupid!"

"Nyeh!" Lemmy made a face, then rolled away as fast as he could.

"Why you lil'-" Roy bellowed, giving chase.

Morton stepped between them. "Hey guys, you want to hear a scary story?"

The two Koopalings were momentarily distracted from their fight. "Yeah!"

"Once upon a time, a Koopaling was born." Morton grinned. "Her name was Wendy O. Koopa. The end!" All three burst into laughter.

Wendy turned dark red, furious. "When I get my hands on you three, _you'll_ regret being born!"

She chased them in circles around the room, and four pairs of Koopa feet smashed a strange contraption Ludwig had been tinkering with.

"_AUGH! _My invention! I vill make you all pay for that! Get back here!"

As they ran, Ludwig tripped and crashed into Wendy, who crashed into Morton, who crashed into Roy, who crashed into Lemmy. Soon, the five Koopalings had become a whirl of fists and scuffles.

Iggy smirked at the fight, and raised an eyebrow at Jr. "Shall we?"

"After you."

Screaming, "BANZAI!", they leapt into the fray.

The playroom was once again in chaos, until they were interrupted by a strangled shout.

Lemmy crawled back on his ball and poked his head out the door, which was slightly ajar. "Larry was poking one of King Dad's Piranha Plants again!" he cried. "And it ate him!"

They all cracked up. Lemmy shook his head. "Hey, Jr., help me get that thing to spit Larry out, okay?"

"Okay!"

Jr. smiled. He wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
